Grain mill up and running

A new grain mill at Valley Wide Co-op in Preston is now operational and an open house has been scheduled on Thursday, July 24, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Tours of the facility will be given and lunch will be provided from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., according to area and feed-division manager Shaun Parkinson. He said the public is invited.

It’s been approximately 28 months since a fire destroyed the landmark structure on South State Street.

Construction on the new mill has been ongoing for several months. The March 7, 2012, fire caused approximately $3 million in damage and destroyed the milling operation at 264 S. State.

Cement footings for the new 95×125-foot mill were poured last September. A commodity building at the front of the actual mill has 10-foot cement walls. The lower eves on the building are 26 feet high with a metal roof, said Parkinson.

“There are 10 commodity bays in the new facility with an automated mixing system. This is a clear-span building. Work is complete. All equipment has been installed. We are up and running at 100 percent capacity,” he said.

This story is sponsored by US Auction.

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